


So Quiet in the World Tonight

by apple9131999



Series: The States of America [13]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff, References to Native American Culture, References to Native American Literature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 06:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7033441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apple9131999/pseuds/apple9131999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re being very loud,” she informed the baby.</p><p>The baby continued to scream regardless.</p><p>She poked the baby’s squirming side. “Hey, listen to me Baby. I want to sleep.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Quiet in the World Tonight

_July 30, 1868- Rhode Island Ave, Washington D.C._

* * *

When the baby woke her up the second time in a row, Montana was not very happy. She never hated more that she was still in the nursery.

-Being in the nursery meant that she was still little and didn’t have to do as many chores like Washington, but...it almost meant she slept right next to the baby-

The first time, it was just after she had been sent to bed, therefore Connecticut was still awake and easily swept into the room to take care of the babe. Now?

Now it was the middle of the night and no one was up. Except for the baby and Montana.

She padded over to the bassinet and braced her feet against the structure underneath it so she could pull herself up over the side of the bassinet to stare down at the wailing baby.

“You’re being very loud,” she informed the baby.

The baby continued to scream regardless.

She poked the baby’s squirming side. “Hey, listen to me Baby. I want to sleep.”

The baby paused for a moment, looking up at her for a long moment, but when she retracted her finger, the babe took a deep breath in through his lungs and began screaming presently.

“No, no, no,” she said, placing her palm lightly down onto the baby’s stomach, trying to get him to stop screaming. “Stop that, people are sleeping, I’ll have you know.”

The baby paused and looked at her hand and then looked up at her, but stayed silent.

“Do you want a story?” she asked. “I can’t read yet, but sometimes Samantha makes up a story for me. Or Victoria sometimes.”

The baby was silent.

“I guess I could tell you a story Lakota used to tell me, but you’re not to tell Victoria or Samantha or Alfred that I told you, ‘kay?”

The baby grabbed at her thumb.

“It’s kinda hard to stand like this, I’m climbing in, okay?”

The baby grabbed at her hand as she moved it. He stuck her thumb into his mouth. She snatched her hand back.

“Gross! Bailey, you’re not supposed to chew of other people’s hands,” she said as she climbed into the bassinet. When she was settled down, she tugged at the baby until he was settled into her lap.

“Okay, let’s see. What story do you want to hear?”

The baby blinked up at her lethargically. She pressed her hand to his stomach and felt his tummy rise with each breath.

“What about the pet bunny? No that’s a sad story. Hmmm...do you want to hear about the pet donkey?”

The baby started to play with her littlest finger.

“Okay fine, I’ll tell you that story.” She tapped a finger of her free hand on her chin and thought for a moment. “I think it starts like this:

“There was a chief's daughter once who had a great family. When she grew up she married and had tow baby boys. This made everyone happy in her father's camp, and all the village women came to see the babes. She was very happy-” here Montana paused and looked back down at the drooling baby in her lap, “I can’t imagine having two of you. That just sounds like too much work.”

Bailey only blinked up at her with his big green eyes.

“Anyway: As the babes grew older, their grandmother made for them two saddle bags and brought out a donkey. "My two grandchildren," said the old lady, "shall ride like babies from a good family. Here is this donkey. He is patient and surefooted- Lakota told me that that meant that the donkey knew his feet. He shall carry the babes in the saddle bags, one on either side of his back." Montana paused again, “You don’t know what saddlebags are, do you? Saddlebags are these things that go like whump-” here she made a gesture as though wrapping Bailey up in a saddlebag “-and carry the babies when the Sioux have to travel.”

The baby yawned in her lap.

* * *

“And then,” Montana muttered later, sleepily and softly to the baby, “they couldn’t find the babies or the donkey after the enemy left and everyone was sad...I’d never lose _you_ Bailey…”

The baby had long since been asleep, and now Montana was beginning to nod off. She yawned and fought through it as she made herself comfortable in the bassinet. She didn’t want to leave the story unfinished. “They found the babies with the gran’ma, Bailey. And she said…’Nd she said, “Didn’t I tell you the donkey was for the babies?” He kept them safe, Bailey. I should get you a donkey..”

* * *

Connecticut found the two of them when she came in to wake Montana to get ready to milk the cows and start the butter churn. Montana was slouched into the corner of the bassinet, her head lolling back, mouth open. Her feet had pushed the blankets away from her and Bailey. The baby was in her lap, his head supported on her thigh, his eyes open and slowly blinking as he watched Connecticut approach him.

“I suppose the two of you had an eventful night,” she said softly as she reached to pick up the baby.


End file.
